Kaman Gauges Interest in Restarting K-Max

By Staff Writer | April 1, 2014

Unmanned, Utility

The K-Max production line could be brought back to life if there are enough orders to make it cost-effective, said Terry Fogarty, Kaman’s general manager for unmanned systems. Although he admitted that the company regularly gets requests for its veteran intermeshing rotor helicopter, which obtained its type certificate back in 1994, Kaman used Heli-Expo to gauge just how serious potential customers were and getting them to state whether they would commit to a deposit.

Unlike many companies who divest themselves of production line tooling, Kaman has kept its K-Max machinery in relatively good storage conditions. “We could turn on the production line in around 15-18 months,” said Fogarty, adding that a more accurate forecast would depend on how quickly its suppliers could also stand up and deliver to Kaman. The company is believed to be looking for around 10 firm commitments for it to make a positive decision by the end of the year.

Of the 35 K-Max originally manufactured, only around 20 are still flying (including that operated by the USMC). Fogarty said that the company would make a decision about whether to restart the production line by the end of the year. “I always thought it was going to be a pause in production, albeit one that has lasted for 13 years,” said Fogarty. “It will be the same aircraft with the same design, engine and blades,” confirms Fogarty, adding that any changes would necessitate a re-certification that the company would not wish to go through: “Potential customers want it for exactly what it does now.”

While the aircraft is highly valued by civil customers in the firefighting and logging sectors, the success of the one remaining unmanned K-Max flying with the U.S. Marine Corps should not be underappreciated. The Marines have continually extended their field trials of the aircraft, which was first taken to Afghanistan in late 2011. Starting with two unmanned K-Max, the second has not operated since an accident in June 2013.